Malacañang is confident it will get a fair treatment from the Supreme Court once opposition groups question the legality of the Truth Commission before the High Tribunal.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said they continue to trust the High Court to hand a ruling based on the merits of the Executive Order No.1 creating the Truth Commission and not on where their loyalties lie.

Lacierda squelched concerns that the government might not get a fair shake in the Supreme Court since all magistrates were appointed by former President Arroyo. The commission, formed by President Aquino, seeks to investigate the alleged irregularities during the nine-year Arroyo administration.

“We have to trust the institution of the Supreme Court. They are the final arbiter. I’m sure they will rule on the case based on the merits of the EO and not because they were appointed by former President Arroyo,” he told reporters in the Palace.

Lacierda said the government is ready to defend the creation of the Truth Commission before the Supreme Court, insisting the new body stands on firm legal ground. The country’s new Solicitor General Jose Cadiz will take the lead in the government’s defense team, he added.

He insisted that the President has the authority to create the commission to ferret the truth behind the numerous corruption allegations involving the past administration. He also rejected criticisms made by Senator Miriam Santiago that the commission was a brainchild of amateurs.

“We believe the power to create the Truth Commission has been given to the executive branch under the Administrative Code of 1987,” he said. “We believe the executive branch is well within its power to create the Truth Commission,” he added.

He said former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. and former Supreme Court judge Romeo Callejo are both respectable and competent members of the commission who will fulfill their mandate without bias. “If some quarters do not feel it is right, then file a case before the Supreme Court and we will defend our case,” he said.

On criticisms the commission merely duplicates the work of the Office of the Ombudsman or the Department of Justice, Lacierda explained that the President wanted to create an independent group “to avoid accusations of partiality and bias.”

“The President decided to form the truth commission so he won’t be accused of being a vengeful leader. He has appointed persons with integrity and competence in the commission,” he added.
 
He said the findings of the truth commission will be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, which will decide if there is a strong case against erring public officials and their cohorts in the private sector.